TCS Shotgun Wins Big At GAPPS State

Tournament in Savannah

By Samantha DePriest

Trinity Christian School’s Shotgun Team delivered an unforgettable performance at the GAPPS State Tournament in Savannah this past weekend, bringing home multiple top honors and reaffirming the strength of the program. Despite challenging weather conditions, both the varsity and middle school teams demonstrated remarkable skill and unity culminating in a Varsity State Championship title and standout individual achievements. With senior leadership shining and younger athletes rising to the occasion, TCS once again showcased the excellence and Christ-centered character that define its athletes.

TCS Junior Reid Briggs brought home a record four medals from the State tournament. Reid gives all glory to God and to his team and shared, “I couldn’t have done it without the support and encouragement of my team. I am so proud of each of my teammates for shooting with excellence and giving their all.” Reid has been on the Shotgun team since 6th grade at TCS. He is a well rounded, Jesus loving young man who also serves on Student Council, has competed on the TCS Bass Fishing, Lacrosse, and Football teams. He and his family attend Crossroads Church and he serves on the Youth Leadership team and has served with the Special Needs Camp for many years.

VARSITY TEAM

TCS 2025 High School Shotgun Team
(pictured left to right) Front row - Will Tucker, Landon Hoekstra, Maxwell Bugden, Reid Briggs, Will Lambert, Kael Hover, and Toni-Mari Timpson. Back row - Pierce Pilkenton, Luke Boyce, Carter Pilkenton, Josh Powell, Colton Kelly.
(Not pictured - Jake Lowery and Noah Lake)

2025 STATE CHAMPIONS

Individual Awards:

Reid Briggs: 1st Place Skeet and 1st Place Trap

Landon Hoestra: 3rd Place High Overall; 2nd Place Skeet;

Toni-Marie Timpson: 3rd Place High Overall; 2nd Place Skeet, and 2nd Place Trap

Reid Briggs, 1st Place Skeet and 1st Place Trap, 2025 GAPPS State Tournament

Squad Awards:

Top Skeet Squad - Reid Briggs, Landon Hoekstra, Kael Hover

Top Trap Squad - Reid Briggs, Landon Hoekstra, Noah Lake, Maxwell Bugden

2nd Place Sporting Clays Squad - Landon Hoekstra, Carter Pilenton, Jake Lowery

Middle School

Individual Awards:

Daniel Freeman: 2nd Place Trap

Warren Bugden: 3rd Place Skeet

Squad Awards:

Top Skeet Squad - Warren Bugden, Daniel Freeman, Jax Gosdin

3rd Place Trap Squad - Daniel Freeman, Jax Gosdin, Jake Gosdin

Coach’s Corner: A Conversation with Coach Noel Salvanera

Please tell us about your history with TCS and how long you have been coaching the Shotgun team. I started coaching the TCS Shotgun Team in the fall of 2013, which was the first season for Varsity Clay Target Sports. We had two team members, Christian and Danielle. Christian won the trap event and Danielle was runner up. The next season, the team grew to 18 members. Several past members have gone on to successfully compete at the collegiate and club levels.

This is a Co-Ed sport and several ladies have earned state honors as well including Bella Scott, Kendra Hendricks, Toni-Marie Timpson, Lily Wingo, and Caroline Oehmsider. We also have had several siblings on the team over the years: Emma and Michael Lachey, Thomas and Tyler Stanford, Hayden and Mason Waters, Blake and Luke Boyce, Jake and Jax Gosdin, Michael and Daniel Freeman, Carter and Pierce Pilkenton, Kael and Cameron Hover, Brody and CJ West, Zed and Lily Wingo, and Josh and Jacob Harper. The shotgun team has become such a close knit group. Some of our athletes and families have been together for 7-8 years.

Please tell us about the success of your teams this season, especially at the GAPPS State Tournament this past weekend in Savannah. The athletes faced challenging weather conditions on both days, but they showed determination and perseverance. The first event was skeet and the team was on the first flight. They posted solid scores, but we were not sure they would be enough to win the event, but this is where there focus and perseverance paid off as other teams could not post as strong results. The next event was sporting clays and this is where we fell behind. We were at least 17 targets behind by the end of the day. On Saturday, the team competed in the trap event and they were able to make up the deficit. The varsity team ended up winning by just two clays. The team had several strong performances and it took everyone's best efforts to make up the difference and finish with the win.

What is your vision for next season? We have several members like Landon, Maxwell, and Reid who will be seniors next year and we need to focus on their continued success as well as develop the younger members of the squad. We will continue to develop our middle schoolers to be competative at the middle school and varsity levels.

How can students reach out to you if they want to learn more about joining next season and what should they be doing now to prepare for it? With the state competition behind us, we will be shifting to off season training as some of the team transitions to winter or spring sports. Anyone interested is encouraged to reach out though the TCS athletic office, a current team member or directly to one of the coaches. We would be happy to schedule a time to introduce potential new members and families to the sport through a hands on introductory lesson/session.

TCS Shotgun Wins Big At GAPPS State Tournament in Savannah